As we near the end of another year and the holiday season is upon us, all eyes are on the U.S. consumer, watching to see if the old ways of spending will return, leaving behind the mentality of saving more...

Thirty years ago, inflation was running at a high of 13.6 percent. The Federal Reserve had to adopt aggressive measures to tighten monetary policy and fight inflation. The Fed tightened money supply and the target Fed Funds rate rose to 20 percent. The economy took a downturn and two recessions quickly followed the Fed's actions (from January 1980 to July 1980 and from July 1981 to November 1982). Currently, our economy is experiencing yet another scenario where the Fed must take extreme action in monetary policy. However, this time around, the conditions are not quite the same.

The Federal Reserve Board’s Federal Open Market Committee continues to convey the sentiment that the economy is still fragile and the future remains uncertain. A clear message on September 21 was that the Fed would step in if necessary to support the recovery and assure that inflation returns to a level that is in accordance with the Fed’s mandate. Ideally, the Fed would like inflation to be between 1.5 and 2 percent; currently it is at 1.1 percent.

The need for greater efficiencies around managing cash and liquidity, together with the need to improve visibility and maintain control, are key concerns for clients with growing overseas operations. These needs, along with the desire to enhance returns, are what make an effective global cash management platform essential.

The Federal Open Market Committee has once again reiterated the proverbial “extended” remark, regarding leaving the target interest rate unchanged in the range of zero to 0.25 percent. It is becoming more likely that the first rate increase is about a year away. Here's why.

The global economic recovery remains in question, as evidenced by the instability in the euro zone and 10 percent unemployment in the United States. Although the U.S. is seeing robust hiring in the manufacturing sector, the impact is diminished because the service sector constitutes 70 percent of U.S. gross domestic product. Complicating the global recovery scenario will be Europe’s prolonged period of relatively weak economic performance due to austerity measures imposed as result of the nearly $1 trillion rescue package.

What’s a securities broker to do? The boards and CFOs that have employed them to manage corporate cash have largely and perhaps permanently lost all appetite for the products that were once so lucrative for brokers to sell.

In response to the severe market disruption to the economy two years ago, the Federal Reserve created multiple liquidity programs aimed at stabilizing the financial system. Since then, market conditions have improved and the Fed is now tasked with implementing a strategy to normalize monetary policy.